Between Horse and Rider: The Saddle
The saddle should enhance the performance and enjoyment of both horse and rider in a dynamic system. When we finally realized that our saddles had been hampering our horses’ movements and offset our balance in riding, we knew we needed help from a professional saddle fitter.
We chose Karen Withstandley, of The Refined Equine, on the recommendation of riders we respect and that she frequently calls on barns in our area and would be available to see us ride in the saddles and, when needed, to adjust (re-flock) the saddles as they and the horses changed. We needed saddle consultation for our Icelandics as well as our Lipizzaner and she was very familiar with both breeds. Karen does not sell saddles and is independent of any manufacturer or dealer and thus has no conflict of interest or constraints on the recommendation of a saddle.
I had not planned on filming this. I started filming only when I saw how interesting the process was (I just about always have a camera on me anyway…) and that our learning experience should be available to others. The following videos are in no way an endorsement of any make or manufacturer of tack. In fact, I am not going to disclose the brand names of the saddles we ended up choosing. If anyone wants to advertise, they can do it in the “open” in a delimited area. Further, the making of these videos was not in lieu of compensation for services performed. (In other words, we paid retail.) So I don’t have a conflict of interest, either.
They show how one particular saddle fitter evaluates the horse, makes templates of its back and then uses them to assess the fit of a saddle. The templates are given to the client in hard copy as well as on a CD so they can be emailed to tack vendors to match against possible saddles in order to find an appropriate fit. This series of videos is not a How To. It is a How Done. It is educational rather than instructional.
We were lucky that Karen was going to be doing an evaluation of a new Icelandic horse that just came to the barn where we take lessons. We would be able to share the cost of a barn call and see her at work. Additional detail can be found on The Refined Equine website.
Before we even started talking about what kind of saddles go on the horse, we needed to discuss where the saddle should be placed on this rather small horse. And here is where the Icelandic horse had specific requirements.
Her first step was a thorough evaluation of the horse.
She then took a look at the horse in motion, out of the stall.
Then it was time to make the templates. One virtue of the template system is that it can expand the geographic range of saddle suppliers and the range of prices because it allows a dealer to select a used saddle. The dealer can try the saddle on the templates before the horse.
We had some saddles with us and tried some on our horses.
I went ahead and raised a hot-button issue in the Icelandic horse community: the treeless saddle. Her response:
We had been focusing so much on the horse and the saddle, but where, literally, does the rider fit in? She had a tip:
One of the vicissitudes of filming one’s own life with horses is that there are times when it is impossible to turn on the camera. Thus I missed showing the final part of the saddle fitting, observing the rider (me) on the horse in the saddle. I will have to do this with someone else as the subject.
Many thanks to Norma Cutler, who let me film her and her patient new horse, “Steini”, Steinríkur frá Hjaltabakka, IS1998156457. They were both good sports about letting me drop in and film without any advance notice. By the way, Steini’s sire is Glaður frá Hólabaki, IS1991156276, who was evaluated with 9′s for temperament, a trait which was clearly passed on!
I welcome feedback and comments — in fact, invite them — in the “shout box” below. Perhaps we can start a discussion. This is still a work in progress.